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Hi Don,
Instead of opinion I would say a judge is awarding places based on the entries available. Yes, some judges are biased for certain traits but as mentioned above those judges won't be invited back to judge shows.
One of the flaws of any show is as Debbi mentioned a person enters their bird/critter wins and walks away believing they have a show quality bird/critter and continues to reproduce the same quality stock.
IMO it's imperative for judges to make comments on the entrants entry form especially when place winner bird/critter is really not close to the SOP. Of course I'm assuming a judge would DQ any entry that did not meet the minimum breed standards.
Another factor is egg color. Most Marans breeders, IMO, started keeping Marans because of their unusual egg color. So instead of building the structure first (outside shape and color) they opted for interior design (egg color) first. Now they are trying to back into correct body shape and feather color while trying not to lose egg color. Which is why I admire Randy for his willingness to cull hard and work with only the best of his stock.
Joe
Unfortunately you are correct. It is based on entries available. If it is a county fair kind of show, judges usually let some things pass. They should always write a critique, so that the person understands that the bird got a first, but really isn't the best example of the breed. Fairs also many times use unlicensed judges and the winners don't understand that, so you will see awards that are not justified. Since the Marans is just now included in the SOP there will be some judges that will make errors. I know of a CA judge that DQ'ed a bunch of Marans for stubs. I talked to him and he said "they just looked like some bird you would find down the road". Needless to say I let him know he was making errors. He didn't read the breed description that was printed in the APA newsletter with the description of the Marans before they were excepted. Needless to say this is not a judge that I would recommend to judge any kind of show. It is the judges responsibility to keep current and add new descriptions to his SOP until they are reprinted.
If your birds are judged by 3 APA judges and they place about the same with the same type of competition, then you can be pretty sure that is about how your bird will place in any show. In big shows we judge by comparison of the birds and only use the points to separate the best in the class. As noted.......judges are human and with that comes bias and other human traits that skew some of the judging. By and large I think exhibitors get a pretty good idea of where their birds stand from the results of the judging and the comments from the rest of the exhibitors.......if the exhibitors are who know their breed. On the other hand there are folks that THINK they know their breed, but they really don't.
To me....the best thing about showing is that I am able to see what other breeders are doing with their breeding regardless of the outcome of the show. Don't get me wrong..I don't go to shows to lose, but at this stage I can judge how my birds stack up against the rest. Any long time breeder can do this after a while.
When judging I put a lot of notes if I place a marginal bird, so that the owner doesn't think they have a champion when they really have a mediocre or worse bird. Many times I will give them a fifth or so even if there are no other birds in the class. That always ends up with a conversation and that is where I tell them that the bird is not very good...so it does not deserve a first place even though it was first by default.
Walt
